10 of the Best Apps for Outdoor Enthusiasts

18 July 2017

We’re well into summer now, the best time of year to get out and experience the great outdoors.

However, just like many other aspects of our lives, camping, hiking and all things outdoors have been revolutionised by technology, and nowadays, your smartphone is almost as important as your torch, first aid kit or pocket knife.

Whether it’s for navigation, survival tips, or even maybe actually using it as a phone(!) your smartphone is a crucial piece of kit when you’re out and about, so here are just ten of our favourite apps.

What really sets this route planner app apart is that you simply need to trace out the outline of your intended route, and the app will intelligently snap to nearby trails and paths. If the app can’t quite find a trail, you can simply zoom in and draw your own.

Based on the bestselling book by former SAS soldier John “Lofty” Wiseman, this app includes not just the full book, which covers a host of survival topics, but also has extensive information on first aid and photo galleries of edible and medicinal plants so that you can easily identify them!

There’s also instructional videos, checklists and a Morse code signalling functional. All in all, not too bad for six quid!

If you like to document your walks and adventures, then Ramblr might be the app for you.

It’s a mobile journaling app designed for hiking, and allows you to record everything from your route to speed, highest point to distance travelled, and even allows you to record geotagged audio and video, ready to show off on social media when you get home.

There’s also the ability to upload and share your trips, and of course, check out those of other users.

You never know when an emergency is going to strike, and this free app from the Red Cross means that you’ll always be prepared.

It covers any kind of injury or emergency, providing basic first aid solutions split into ‘Learn’ mode, for reading up in more detail, and an ‘Emergency’ mode which strips things back to the basics that you need to know. There’s also plenty of helpful diagrams and videos to help make things easier to understand.

It’s always important to stay safe when you’re out in the sun and make sure to regularly apply sunscreen.

UVLens is a handy app which can help reduce the risk of sunburn with a number of features such as a UV index forecast and sunscreen calculator to accurately estimate the risk of sunburn for you and your children, giving an estimated time when you’ll start to get burned, and recommendations on what steps to take. It can even send you notifications to remind you!